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The Battle Against the Corona Virus. What is Germany and China Doing Correctly?
As the World battles its worst enemy in modern history, it is important to make certain observations that are worth considering by those who are leading the fight in various countries. The number of reported infections throughout the world has reached 1 652 655 as at Goodfriday, 10 April 2020. The total number of confirmed deaths from the virus stand at 100 371 and those who have recovered from the virus stands at 369 938, leaving the total number of active cases at 1 182 346. Italy has suffered the highest number of confirmed deaths in the whole world at 18 849 followed by the USA at 17 927, Spain at 15 970 and France at 12 210.
What should be mentioned however is that Germany, with nearly the same number of infections, at 119 624, as its neighbours, Italy (at 147 577), Spain (at 157 053), France (at 117 749), the UK (at 70 272), has managed to keep the casualty rate at 2 607 with a high number of recoveries at 52 407. It may be too early to make any conclusions, but it seems so far that there is something that the Germans are doing right which the other countries are missing. The same can be said about China, where the virus was first discovered. Total infections in China are standing at 81 907, with 3 336 deceased and 77 455 recoveries leaving only 1 116 active cases. Those countries that are the hardest hit by this pandemic should take some lessons from China and Germany and they must learn fast in order to bring the monster under control without any further delay. What is it that these two countries are doing right to keep the mortality rate so low and the recovery rate high? Can it be a question of resources?
It has been said that resources such as the availability of hospital beds, ventilators etc play a very crucial role in determining whether a covid 19 patient will survive or not. Countries such as the USA and the UK are very well resourced and yet their rate of mortality is very high with the UK currently standing at 8 958 deceased and only 135 recoveries. What is it that distinguishes Germany and China from the rest of the countries under observation?
For a start Germany took a while before it could react to the threat of covid 19. As late as January 2020 Germany still regarded the virus as a distant threat to the German health system. The first few covid 19 cases in Germany were discovered as late as 27 January 2020. China on the other hand took an aggressive approach towards tackling the disease right from the start. Experts suggest that the high number of hospital and ICU beds, its reliable testing facilities both in the private and public health sectors, could be responsible for Germany’s success in keeping the mortality rate low. China on the other hand, had managed to drop the curve dramatically towards the end of February 2020
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